Haunts of the Battlefield
by Fan Fiction by Jasmine L.Y
Summary: What if Patroclus hadn't died and lived to see the sack of Troy, as well as the fall of his beloved cousin, Achilles?


Haunts of the Battlefield

What if Patroclus hadn't died and lived to see the sack of Troy, as well as the fall of his beloved cousin, Achilles?

People were running through the streets and flames were burning everything in every direction I looked. My heart pounded harshly in my breast and I frantically pushed through the mass of people. I happened to spy Odyssuses and some Myrmidons, fighting Trojans, I assumed. But none of the warriors was the one I was looking so feverishly for.

"Achilles!" I call out as loud as possible, but my voice seems to be silenced by the screams of others. "Achilles!" I shout again.

I then hear him, not replying to me but nevertheless, I hear his strong voice among all the rest.

"Briseis!" He calls.

I then see my warrior cousin swiftly run past the crowd I had just staggered out of and make his way past burning walls and swarms of people.

Not letting him out of my sight, I run as fast as my feet will allow in an attempt to reach him. Furiously, pushing others past me I see him descending several steps and within a blink of an eye, men had fallen to the ground by the swing of his sword.

It's then that I realize who he had just defended. It was her, the girl Briseis whom he had called for. Before I can take another step, I hear the scream of the girl in my cousin's strong arms. A noise is heard and I look ahead to see him. Paris, Prince of Troy stands there bow and arrow in hands and his target…

My heart falls and I rush to the scene. But I am not quick enough. Briseis has let out multiple yells and too many arrows have been shot.

My cousin, Achilles lets out a grunt of pain that rips at my heart. His eyes are moist and he falls to his knees. My hearts falls with him. He bravely pulls out the arrows from his body and Briseis runs to him. I cannot hear what they say, but I don't care. My mind is on Paris, the man who stood before me with the bow and arrow in his hands. I suddenly run forward and lunge on Paris. Falling to the ground, we wrestle for a moment and then I reach for the sword that I had dropped in our fall. Swiftly, clutching it I raise my arm and swing it forward. A gasp comes from the Prince and blood gushes his mouth and the wound I had given him.

I rise to my feet and stagger back, shocked at my actions. But before I can make another move my mind rushes back to my cousin. I leap over the wall and run to him. Briseis was no longer beside him. He knelt there, his face pale, his blue eyes glassy with tears of pain, I cannot tell. He looks up at me and I immediately drop to his side.

"Pat...Patroclus…" his voice is barely audible.

"Cousin," I say, my voice shaky with emotion.

He puts a hand on my cheek and lets out a heavy sigh.

"Troy has fallen," he says. "Go, s…save yourself." He winces.

I look down at the wounds on his torso and chest, blood leaks from each one of them and it covers his hands as well. I clutch his strong hands in my smaller ones and I feel him give a slight squeeze. His brow wrinkles together and I notice a tear run down his cheek.

"I can't…" my voice breaks. "I can't… leave you."

Achilles gave a slight push to my arm and said, "There's nothing left," he said.

"Achi-"

"Go," he says once more.

His tone firm and serious. I know that tone, the tone that I would hear whenever I didn't listen to him when I was a child. It was the tone he used when I was in need of discipline when he needed me to listen to the most.

But it then grew softer, "Patroclus," he couldn't hold on much longer. "Don't… don't be afraid." He said. Even in the time of his most suffering, he was still comforting and insightful in my perspective.

"It's alright." He said. A haunting yet beautiful smile grew on his pale and perspiration covered face. "Go."

He then pulled me into a gentle embrace and pushed me back. I clasped his hand as I back away and he didn't let go as I stood. As I rose to my feet, he looked at me, and I knew it would be the last time I gazed into his deep blue eyes. I then slowly departed and I was no longer in his sight. Yet, I could still see him.

He lifted his head to the sky and gave a sigh that would be his last. His body the began limp and he laid back on the grass-covered area. Besides the arrows that had caused his end and the sword that he raised many times in battle.

Watching the sight, I felt as if my heart had stopped beating with my chest and my limbs were unmoveable. Even though numbness covered my body, I somehow managed to dismiss the scene, but the look within my cousin's eyes plagued my mind. His deep blue eyes and serious yet loving face filled my memory. His strong hands that would no longer defend nor fight in battle. His lifeless body that I had left, didn't fade from my thoughts. Realization sunk into my heart and I felt as if my world had stopped turning. Achilles had died.

THE END


End file.
